Ghostly Charms
A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 14
Lily Harper Hart
HarperHart Publications
Copyright © 2020 by Lily Harper Hart
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
1. One
2. Two
3. Three
4. Four
5. Five
6. Six
7. Seven
8. Eight
9. Nine
10. Ten
11. Eleven
12. Twelve
13. Thirteen
14. Fourteen
15. Fifteen
16. Sixteen
17. Seventeen
18. Eighteen
19. Nineteen
Mail List
Acknowledgments
Books by Lily Harper Hart
1
One
Spring was in the air. The birds were singing. The sun was shining. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
That didn’t stop Harper Harlow from complaining.
“Yard work is stupid.” She rolled back on her haunches and used the back of her arm to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Her flaxen hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail and her face was devoid of makeup. She was still the most beautiful woman Jared Monroe had ever seen in real life, which meant the fact that they were now engaged was a constant marvel to him.
“Yard work is stupid,” he agreed as he studied the angles of her face. When he’d suggested an outing as a couple for them, she’d jumped at the chance to spend some time outside with him. He assumed she thought they would be hammocking — even though he hadn’t yet erected the hammock after the long winter — but he had something else in mind.
“So ... why are we doing it?” Harper challenged. “Let’s do something else.”
His smile was wide. “What did you have in mind?”
“I can think of a million things that are more fun than this. Get the hammock and put it up.”
“And then what?”
“Then we’ll roll around in the hammock all day. What do we always do in the hammock?”
Jared’s grin only widened. “You know hammocking is one of my favorite activities. It ranks right up there with spending quality time with you in our bedroom … and eating.”
Harper’s expression was wry. “Wow. I can’t believe I’m right up there with eating.”
He poked her side. “We have to do this, though. We’re new homeowners. That means we take care of our yard. That’s simply one of the rules of being an adult.”
Harper rolled her eyes in dramatic fashion. “Thanks, Dad,” she drawled. “I never would’ve guessed that myself. The thing is, I owned a house with Zander for years.” She inclined her head toward the house located directly across the street from them. That’s where she’d previously lived with her best friend Zander Pritchett, who had taken ownership of that house for himself and his boyfriend. A street may have separated them now, but Jared was convinced that boundaries were still an issue.
“I’m aware of the dark years,” Jared teased. “You know, the years before I came into your life. What does that have to do with anything?”
“I never had to do yard work over there.”
“That’s probably because Zander is so fussy he wanted to do it himself.”
“Um ... no. Not even close.”
Jared stilled. Now that he thought about it — well and truly gave it some consideration — it didn’t make sense for Zander to do yard work unless it involved decorating for Halloween. He didn’t like getting dirty. “How did you guys avoid yard work for the years you lived in that house?”
“We paid to have it done. A spring cleanup is only like a hundred-and-fifty bucks and then the maintenance throughout the summer is a couple hundred more. It’s totally worth it not to do it ourselves.”
Jared tilted his head, thoughtful. “But I was going to buy a lawnmower and do that myself.”
Harper snorted. “Why? That seems like a waste of money and time. If we hire someone else to do it, that means we can spend more time hammocking.”
Jared found he was at a genuine loss. On one hand, he loved nothing more than lounging around in a hammock, a cold beer within grasp, and his blonde tucked in at his side. On the other, he liked the idea of having a riding lawnmower. “I don’t know. I mean ... isn’t that supposed to be my job?”
Harper looked amused. “I thought your job was to love me.”
“That’s not a job.” He winked at her. “That’s my life’s mission and it’s not exactly a hardship. Taking care of the lawn, though ... well ... my father always did that. He enjoyed yard work and absolutely loved fiddling around outside with his mower.”
Realization dawned on Harper. Jared didn’t often talk about his father, but suddenly she understood his earnest tack when attacking outdoor work. “Oh.” She made up her mind on the spot. “It’s okay. If you want to mow, I think that’s also a viable way to go. It will cut down on our hammocking, but I’m sure we’ll survive.”
Jared’s expression was pained. “I don’t want to cut down on our hammocking.” He looked genuinely conflicted as he straightened and glanced around the yard. To his eye, it needed a lot of work. Harper wasn’t wrong about paying someone to do it, though. It would free them to spend more quality time together, and he was never going to think of that as a bad thing.
“Do you know who we can call for the spring cleanup?”
She smiled at his profile. “I happen to know a guy. Although, if you want to offer the job to Jeff, that might work, too.”
Jared brightened considerably. Jeff Clarke was a homeless individual they’d stumbled across months before and decided to help. Over the course of a few months, he’d gotten back on his feet financially and was living in the former rental place Jared resided in before moving in with Harper. “That’s a great idea. I’ll go in and call him right now. I bet he’ll jump at the chance.”
“Definitely.” Harper started tugging off her gloves. “Does that mean we can hammock?”
He cast an adoring look over his shoulder. “Yeah. As soon as I place the call, I’ll put up the hammock. I think an afternoon in the shade is exactly what the doctor ordered. We can talk about wedding plans while we’re there.”
Harper balked. “If we talk about wedding plans without Zander, he’s totally going to melt down.”
“It’s our wedding. That means we’re making the decisions.” He was firm. “I don’t care if Zander helps you, but I want this to be what we want, not what he wants.”
Harper felt caught. For as long as she could remember, she and Zander had talked about her eventual wedding as a group project. He would not be happy when he heard decisions were made without him. Of course, Jared was right. It was their wedding. They were the ones who needed to be happy with the final product.
“Okay, but you can’t rub it in that we did wedding stuff without him.” Her voice was low and full of warning. “He won’t like that at all.”
Jared rolled his eyes. “I can’t tell you how much I love the fact that we have to run everything by Zander. It’s a true highlight for me.”
“Sarcasm isn’t going to help the situation.”
“Since when is that the rule? Are you going to say the same thing to Zander?”
Harper heaved out a heavy sigh. “Place the call and get the hammock. I don’t want to fight about Zander. This is supposed to be our time together, to bond.”
He cracked a smile. “Heart, if we were any more bonded we would be fused together at the hips ... and lips. I’m not necessarily opposed to that, but we might get a few odd looks at the various Whisper Cove festivals.”
A laugh gurgled up, unbidden. “You should be a comedian instead of a cop. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“Nobody of note. I’ll make the call and be back in a few minutes. Be ready to hammock your cute little behind off.”
“I’m always ready for that.”
TRUE TO HIS WORD, JARED HAD THE hammock up in twenty minutes and they were cuddled together in it with a binder before the sweat had even dried from her brow.
“This is much better than pulling weeds.” She grinned as she kissed his cheek and then rested her head on his shoulder. “There are days I think I could spend the rest of our lives doing exactly this.”
“And why can’t we?”
“Because we both have jobs. You serve and protect and I chase ghosts. We’re a power couple.”
He laughed at her deadpan delivery. “I guess I didn’t think about it that way, but you’re right. We’re a total power couple.” He brushed his lips against her forehead. “Despite that, I think we’re going to have plenty of time for hammocking. Practice makes perfect, right? We need to practice.”
“Yeah but ... what about when we have kids. You do want kids, right?”
They’d talked about this before, but only vaguely. With everything that had been going on over the past few months — including Harper’s mother turning out to be a murder suspect — they’d been more focused on external factors. Now they had time to fixate on each other, and the wedding, and things were apparently about to get real.
“I wouldn’t mind a kid or two,” Jared hedged. “The thing is, I don’t think we need to worry about that right away. We have time. We’re still young.”
“I don’t want kids tomorrow,” she reassured him. “Still, I’m almost thirty.”
When she didn’t expand, he snickered. “Yes, you’re an old woman.”
“Not by your standards, but by medical standards, it’s going to be easier for us before I’m thirty-five. I don’t want to be one of those couples who struggles to have kids so we have to be mindful of that.”
“Fair enough.” Jared’s fingers were gentle as they stroked through her hair. “How many kids do you want?”
“No more than two.” She looked worried as she tilted her chin so she could study his features. “You don’t want a boatload of them or anything, do you?”
He chuckled. “No. One or two is fine. We might find that one is our limit. You’re an only child, after all.”
“And we already have Zander,” she reminded him. “He takes up a lot of time.”
“Yeah, well ... I’m guessing they’ll have kids at some point, too. Maybe one kid for us and one for them is all that’s necessary. We can time it so they’re close in age and we can have new miniature versions of you and Zander running around. Wouldn’t that be fun ... and terrifying?”
She giggled at his over-the-top reaction and then sobered. “Would you be okay if we only had a girl? I mean ... will that be enough for you?”
His eyebrows drew together. “Why wouldn’t that be enough for me?”
She shrugged, noncommittal. “I don’t know. A lot of men would want a male child to carry on their name.”
“Yes, well, I’m not most men.”
“I know but ... .”
“That’s not important to me,” he reassured her, squeezing her waist. “All that’s important is that we have a healthy child. As long as I have you, I’m going to have everything I need.”
“Oh, that’s kind of cute.” Harper beamed at him. “I feel the same way. A little girl might be fun, though, especially because you know Zander’s kid will be high-maintenance like he is. He’s going to make any child they adopt a nervous wreck.”
“Actually, I think it sounds fun.” Jared gripped her tighter as he stared into the sky. “If we have a little girl, I picture her with your hair and eyes. I’m going to spoil her rotten.”
“I can see that.”
“I’m going to spoil you rotten, too.” He kissed the tip of her nose and then sobered. “We need to talk about the wedding, though. I don’t want to wait a long time. I would rather do it sooner than later.”
“Because you’re afraid you’re going to change your mind?”
She was teasing, he knew that, but he was earnest with his response all the same. “No. I don’t think I’ll ever change my mind. In fact, I know I won’t. Don’t ever worry about that. I want to be married to you, though. I want to be able to refer to you as my wife. I want to go on a honeymoon.”
“Ah, there it is.” Harper extended a finger and grinned. “I think a honeymoon sounds like an awesome idea. Where do you want to go on a honeymoon?”
“I don’t know. I’m open to suggestions.”
“I’ve always wanted to see New Orleans.”
“I would be up for that. I hear the city is amazing. I could totally deal with that.”
“Or, I once read about this fake western town in Kentucky.” Harper’s excitement level ratcheted up a notch. “I know this sounds corny, but hear me out. You have to ride a ski lift up a mountain, and when you get there, you find yourself in an Old West town, complete with gunfight reenactments and everything.”
Jared was legitimately confused. “Why would there be an Old West town in Kentucky?”
“I have no idea. That’s not important, though. What is important is that, according to the magazines Zander and I get from that paranormal publishing company, the place is crawling with ghosts and other supernatural stuff. We should totally go there.”
She was so excited at the prospect that Jared couldn’t deny her. “That sounds mildly fun, although I don’t think it’s a place to spend two weeks ... and I want a two-week honeymoon. We could split our time between New Orleans and your ghost town.”
“Really?” Harper grinned. “That was easy. Although ... don’t you want some input on where we go?”
“Nope.” He lazily trailed his fingers up and down her arm. “I just want to be with you.”
“Oh, you’re the sweetest man ever.” She enthusiastically smacked a kiss against his mouth. “I can’t wait to tell Zander about the ghost town. He’s going to be so excited.”
Jared stilled. “Um ... we’re not taking Zander with us on our honeymoon. You know that, right?”
The look she shot him was theatrical. “I’m not an idiot.”
He waited because it felt as if the other shoe was going to drop at some point. Then it did.
“Of course, Zander is going to be mad if he’s left out of the Casper Creek excursion,” Harper mused. “Maybe I should think this out more.”
“Maybe,” Jared agreed. “Before anything else happens, though, I think we need to pick a date. How about next month?”
Harper’s eyebrows practically flew off her forehead. “What? You want to get married next month?”
“June is a proper wedding month.”
“It is, but I won’t be ready by then. I need to find a dress and get it fitted. Nothing off the rack is going to fit me because I’m not very busty.” She gestured toward her chest for emphasis. “I need more time than that. I know you want to get married right away and everything, but I still want to look pretty for you.”
“You’re the prettiest woman in the world and you could show up in jeans and a T-shirt and I would still think that. I get what you’re saying, though. The thing is, I don’t want to wait too long. Once fall rolls around, we get into your busy schedule and that’s going to make things more difficult. I want to be married before then.”
“Yeah,” Harper was thoughtful as she stared at the binder. “What about August? That gives me plenty of time to get my dress, and I don’t think we should have too much trouble picking a venue. Our wedding is going to be on the small side, right? You don’t have a bunch of relatives I don’t know about,
do you?”
He laughed at the momentary panic that flitted through her eyes. “No. It will just be a handful of relatives for me. I like the idea of a small wedding, too.”
“Maybe on the shores of the lake.” Harper was back to being excited as she pictured it. “In fact, maybe we could get married by the water and then have the reception at Jason’s restaurant because it’s right there. There’s more than enough room and it would be a pretty backdrop.”
She looked so thrilled at the prospect, Jared couldn’t deny her. Besides, he liked the idea of an outdoor wedding. “How about a sunset service?”
“Yes!” Harper clapped her hands. “I love this idea.” Impulsively, she hugged him tighter. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I mean ... if you want something else, I think it’s best you tell me. I want you to be happy with our wedding, too.”
“As long as you’re there, I’ll be happy.” His smile was indulgent. “Besides, given the fact that Jason still has a crush on you, I think it will be all kinds of fun to have our reception at his restaurant. He might cry or something and I wouldn’t want to miss that.”
Harper rolled her eyes. “Oh, geez. You need to get over it.” She grabbed her phone and studied the dates. “I’m thinking a Saturday. That way we can leave on our honeymoon on a Sunday.”
“That sounds good to me. Just give me a date and a time and I’ll be there.”
“Oh, it’s not going to be that easy, buddy,” she shot back, amused at the way his eyes flashed. “Don’t even think about it. We need to discuss food ... and invitations ... and napkins ... and other stuff.”
“What other stuff?”
“Well, for starters, who is going to be your best man? I thought we would keep the wedding parties small. Zander will be my ... um ... Zander of honor. I thought I would have Molly stand up for me, too. That’s it, though, because I don’t have a lot of friends.”
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